The Government Shutdown and Business Aviation

NBAA Emphasizing Shutdown’s Toll on Business Aviation With National, Local Media Outlets

October 11, 2013

NBAA’s message about the devastating impact of the federal government shutdown on business aviation is being chronicled by print, broadcast and online media – and not just by trade publications, but by leading national media outlets as well.

For example, on Oct. 10 USA Today published a story titled “Aviation Groups Rally at Capitol Against Shutdown.” The article mentioned how NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen was among a group of aviation leaders who called for an end to the government shutdown at a Capitol Hill rally. “We're losing jobs, and we're losing exports,” NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen said of the shutdown’s impact on business aviation.

In a series of interviews, Bolen has provided examples to illustrate the shutdown’s impact on the industry; for example, the FAA’s U.S. Aircraft Registry has been closed. Because the registry is required for the purchase, sale, import, export, maintenance and in some cases operation of airplanes, thousands of small and mid-size business that rely on the database have effectively ground to a halt.

Reuters, a leading newswire, ran an Oct. 8 story featuring NBAA, and pointing to the scope of the problem: “The office registers about 10,000 aircraft a month, according to the National Business Aviation Association,” the story reported.

Leading business publications have also taken note of the crisis that the government shutdown was causing for general aviation. On Oct. 8 Bloomberg Businessweek published an article that said, “The FAA ‘intensely’ regulates the aircraft industry for safety reasons, resulting in companies and airplane operators requiring approval on everything from maintenance to medical certificates for pilots, said Ed Bolen, president of the Washington-based National Business Aviation Association. ‘The effects of this shutdown are growing exponentially,’ Bolen said.”

NBAA has also reached out to local print and broadcast outlets to detail the size and scope of the problem.

The Chicago Tribune ran an article on Oct. 9 titled “Government Shutdown Nearly Grounds Sales of Private Planes,” in which Bolen further detailed the shutdown’s impact. “‘Paperwork for airplane sales, as well as certifications for pilots and aircraft, is piling up at Federal Aviation Administration offices, including the aircraft registry in Oklahoma City, a casualty of the government shutdown... For general aviation, a variety of pending FAA approvals came to a screeching halt last week, and the ripple effect is being felt throughout the industry,’ said Ed Bolen, president of the National Business Aviation Association.”

NBAA’s message that the shutdown has severe economic consequences also was highlighted in reports from radio stations across the country.

For example, WSB, one of Atlanta’s leading radio stations, aired a segment titled “Shutdown Hits Aviation in the Wallet.” As part of its story, Bolen illustrated used an illustrative comparison to demonstrate the economic effects of the shutdown of the FAA Aircraft Registry: “Can you imagine if there were no new or used automobile transactions in the United States until the shutdown was over?” Bolen asked. “This is the reality for our industry.”

Aviation industry trade publications, from Aviation Today and AvWeb, to Flying magazine, also reported NBAA’s recent statements about the deleterious effects of the shutdown on the industry.